


Follow The Star

by Basmathgirl



Series: The Star [1]
Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: F/M, Family, Fluff and Angst, Unresolved Sexual Tension
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-01-22
Updated: 2013-01-27
Packaged: 2017-11-26 12:54:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,773
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/650731
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Basmathgirl/pseuds/Basmathgirl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Jenny heads to Earth to find her father after the events of EoT, Donna is inexplicably drawn to join her.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Finding Home

**Author's Note:**

> **Prompt:** Jenny heals Donna and then goes in search of her dad, just after EoT and finds a way to stop him from dying.  
>  **Disclaimer:** I had Jeff the Snowman held hostage in the back garden for days, and it still didn’t win me these characters.  
>  **A/N:** I was asked not to post this until it was finished. Damn it was hard to keep to that! Hence the fact I've already started the sequel...

It hadn’t taken Jenny very long to miss her father. Just three days after leaving Messaline she was desperately wondering where he and Donna were; what they were doing, and how they were. 

She thought back to when they had sat in that prison cell together, and Donna had suddenly commented, “Be careful, Spaceman; she’ll be calling me ‘Mum’ next.” 

Funnily enough Jenny had dismissed the question that had immediately entered her mind because something else had cropped up; he had tried to deny her connection to him. 

Not a Time Lord, he had remarked, that she would never be one since they all had a shared history. His words had hurt more than she had cared to admit in front of him. Then again, it had made her determined to please him as much as possible. It seemed to have worked, because he had later hugged her. That felt good, that hug. Nothing else had compared to it so far. 

What if she had thought to hug Donna? Would that have felt as good? She would never know now, unless… Unless she sought them out and hugged them both. Yes, that would work, she decided. She would seek out her father and try to claim some of the Time Lord label he had mentioned with such reverence. 

The only problem was how. How would she find him? What was it Donna had said? Human. Donna was a human from the planet Earth. Surely that wouldn’t be too difficult to find? Much less difficult than leaping from planet to planet in a guessable order to find where they had landed that particular day. Of course that idea depended upon whether Donna actually bothered to go back to Earth every now and again. But it was a start, and Jenny was happy to have a workable plan finally to put into practice. 

With added new vigour, she punched in information on the navigation dashboard. The colony had come from Earth, they had told her; so logic said it must have a destination origin to pinpoint and travel towards. Milliseconds later an image pinged up on the monitor before her, showing the size, coordinates, and generalised atmosphere data about the planet Earth. Beaming from ear to ear, Jenny pressed the green button and took her first intergalactic step towards her family. A squeal of delight followed as the engines boomed into life.

She was heading for her version of home.

 

Donna sighed. It was all getting too much for her, what with the flowers suddenly leaping up in price, cousin Alison losing weight so that her bridesmaid’s dress would have to be altered, again! The community centre had double booked so she had lost that venue for the reception, making her have to book the Scouts’ hut down by the football pitches at the last moment. God knew what state it would be in when they tried to set up some buffet tables. And that was another thing; Sylvia’s Wednesday Girls had offered to help, but they were on the verge of falling out with each other. A case of too many chiefs and not enough indians, as usual, if you asked her. Typical!

And now Shaun had lost his voice, so nobody would be able to hear him speak his wedding vows. So much so that she might have to have Nerys step in and take his place. Okay, so she wouldn’t actually do that. Nerys was taken for a start! And she’d much rather be married to a bloke, even if dealing with the weekly underwear wash was an obstacle she could definitely do without.

She put down her pen, took her head in her hands and sighed again. Why was she so determined to have a white wedding? What drove her to do this? There was no guarantee it would make the marriage any better. She snorted then. What did it matter? She was fast approaching 40, still single and without a permanent job. What she needed was some stability in her life, and not this gnawing chasm that tore at her very soul. Something was missing; that was all she knew.

Tears dripped onto the notepad in front of her before she was even aware of it. Her mother had caught her out the night before by suddenly asking if she loved Shaun enough to marry him. The answer had almost choked her, but eventually she had stuttered out, “Of course I do.” But it hadn’t sounded convincing. Not in the slightest.

“Donna,” Sylvia had gasped in a tone that admonished her. “You shouldn’t marry the first man that proposes. You’re worth more than that!”

“That’s the thing, Mum,” she had responded sadly. “I don’t think I am at times. Shaun was the only bloke who’s given me a second glance, and I’m too old to be choosy.”

Too many protests wanted to come out of Sylvia’s mouth, and too many of them involved bringing up topics that were completely taboo; or rather had become taboo. Instead all she could do was hug her daughter and offer comfort by saying she’d always support her life choices. What else could she do in those circumstances? Nothing without killing the person Donna had become. It was bad enough that her former self had been killed.

None of this was said as Sylvia gave Donna one of her rare hugs; but Donna appreciated the gesture enormously. As she sat there at her table she could have done with another of those precious hugs.

Idly looking out of her window she happened to notice something that looked like a shooting star. If she didn’t know any better she’d have thought it was the Christmas Star back on a farewell tour. Oh my! She’d never seen one before, thanks to frequently cloudy skies and light pollution; and it caused another ache in her heart. To think a space particle that had once torn through the universe had landed right near her. What would she give to be able to travel out in space? It wouldn’t happen now; she was too old to be an astronaut and Britain wasn’t exactly known for having a space programme. It all seemed so unfair.

 

Later that night she lay in bed on her side, staring out into her darkened bedroom. She couldn’t sleep again. Too many thoughts kept swirling around in her brain. Thoughts about that meteorite, where it had landed and what it might have brought with it.

After trying in vain for several hours, she decided to give up and go investigate.

 

Jenny rubbed her head, trying to take away the pain that throbbed through her skull. In hindsight she should have devised a system of scanning the planet surface to detect the life signs she sought. Oh well, it was too late to regret that. Instead she peered at the landscape she had found herself embedded in. Oops! That could have gone more smoothly. 

Pushing on the inner lever, the main door swung open, releasing Jenny and wafting in the fumes of the burning plant life that had saved her from destruction. She waved a hand about in front of her face and coughed dramatically. “Perhaps landing in water would have been better,” she commented to herself.

Climbing out, she could see that her craft was sitting at the bottom of a freshly created crater. Another oops! That would attract some attention. After a few attempts, she managed to scale the sides and sit up on the rim as she contemplated her next move. With glee she calculated that the light pollution was coming from an extremely large city; probably London itself! That meant that Donna might be very near. She clapped her hands in excitement.

 

It hadn’t taken Donna long to get into her mum’s car and drive off into the night. The trail the meteorite had blazed wasn’t too far away, possibly close to Heathrow or the M25, judging by the trajectory. How she knew she was so certain of this was a different mystery to her, but she just knew. 

There wasn’t much traffic on the Chiswick flyover, and soon she was bombing along the M4 towards her goal. Following her senses, she headed towards the reservoirs, knowing it had landed somewhere near there, but without attracting too much attention from the airport. They’d probably dismissed as a shooting star; but she knew better.

Finally she was in a position she was happy in, and stopped the car. It was here, not far away. Stepping out, she could smell the scorched earth and followed its scent faithfully. Within minutes she found the outer edge of a freshly formed crater, and searched the area desperately. Something was calling to her, begging for her attention; and then she saw who it was.

Squatting in the darkness was a girl with blonde hair that hung in a long ponytail, against the girl’s back, as it shone in the moonlight; it was the only visible part of her in the diminished light. But Donna was strongly compelled to get closer, and communicate. 

As she got to about twenty metres away the girl suddenly looked up, seemingly confused.

“Hello,” Donna softly greeted her. “I get the feeling you wanted me to come.” She should have felt self-conscious standing there but she didn’t for some reason. The voice in her head was jubilant now, and offering all sorts of wordless love as it reached out for her.

The girl stood up gracefully, her expression welcoming as she took in the fact this was the one person she had hoped to meet. “Donna? Is that you?” she wondered falteringly. 

What? How did she know her name? “Yes, I’m Donna,” was the wary reply. “What’s going on? Is this some sort of practical joke being played on me?! Because I don’t find it funny in the slightest!” Hurt and anger rolled off Donna in waves as she considered what this situation might really mean.

The voice in her head turned to soothing sounds, obviously wanting to reassure her that all was okay.

The girl eased forward, until she could make out Donna’s face reasonably clearly. “Donna, it’s me; Jenny,” she said.

“Jenny who?” Donna queried. “I don’t know a Jenny.” Except there was something familiar about her that she was trying to avoid at all costs.

“Yes you do! You were there with Dad,” Jenny insisted. “That’s why I called to you. Please, Donna; I need your help to find him. Where is he?”

“I was? I think you’ve got the wrong person, love. I don’t know any blokes with a daughter called Jenny,” Donna protested as the girl got nearer still. “In fact, I don’t think…” Her words ground to a halt as she looked at the girl standing there with her dark outfit. She had bright blue eyes that seemed to look into her very soul, she should have been shivering due to that fact that a skimpy t shirt bared her arms, and her blonde hair lifted out of the way for practical purposes. For some reason Donna could picture her doing acrobatics like some Olympian gymnast.

“Don’t you know me, Donna? Or should I call you Mum? I was a bit too shy to ask when I came out of the machine. I’ve missed you so much and I can’t wait to catch up with Dad,” Jenny enthused as she saw recognition bloom on Donna’s face.

“You’re Jenny! But you died. We left you dead on a slab,” Donna stammered out, pointing at her. “You stepped out of a portable toilet machine all smiles and carrying a gun,” she gasped. “And I was standing there watching you with… with…”

“With Dad,” Jenny finished for her. “Cobb thought you were Dad’s woman, but you said you weren’t like that, that you were friends; so I didn’t risk calling you Mum.”

“You wanted to call me Mum?” Donna quizzed her, feeling suddenly pleased at the revelation. “I would have loved that. Why didn’t you say? Of course you can. Come here.” She opened her arms wide, and Jenny rushed into her embrace.

As their bodies met so did their minds, wrapping themselves around each other in joyous contentment. But all was not as well as it could have been.

Their hug hadn’t lasted long when Donna murmured, “Jenny, I’ve got something to tell you. Something really bad.”

“What’s that?” Jenny whispered back, reluctant to let go.

Donna’s voice sounded slightly strained as she said, “There was a bit of a problem after we left you; and… not to beat about the bush… it’s killing me. I won’t be able to hold it off for much longer unless you are willing to risk helping me.”

“What do I have to do, Mum? Tell me. I’ll do anything,” Jenny quickly vowed desperately. She had only just gained Donna back and she wasn’t willing to lose her again.

Through gritted teeth, Donna told her, “Bring your hands up and lightly touch my temples with your fingers… Yes, that’s it; you’ll need to keep them there. Sorry, you’re going to feel a bit of a blast, but it won’t hurt too much. Are you ready?”

Jenny nodded. “I’m ready,” she said determinedly.

Intense light shot out of Donna, flooding her mind as Jenny bravely held on. And then the universe burst into her head. Staggering backwards, Jenny asked, “What just happened to you?”

“It was a metacrisis regeneration, but I syphoned off some it into you so that you could gain some of your dad’s knowledge,” Donna explained.

Jenny mentally felt around her head, nudging at pockets of information that enticed her to go exploring more. “Wow!” she exclaimed.

“I need to get you home and into a healing sleep,” Donna informed her. “In fact we both do, so get in the car. You’re coming home with me.”

Jenny instantly found herself being manhandled into a small cramped machine with square-ish portholes, and rather a feeble console. “Where exactly are we going?” she wondered.

Donna smiled back at her as she started the engine. “We’re going to Chiswick, Jenny. Welcome to London.”


	2. Family Meetings

Jenny felt utterly exhausted. It didn’t take long to fall asleep in the machine thing called a car, and Donna had to partially rouse her in order to get her out of it. Feeling rather blurry, she was aware of being taken inside a building, of walking up some steps, and then laying down on something that was extremely soft and comfortable. Much else beyond that evaded her as a welcoming blackness overtook her, and she entered a healing sleep for the second time in her young life.

“Hello sleepyhead,” a friendly voice greeted Jenny as she snuffled awake and rolled over experimentally. “How do you feel?”

Jenny stretched out her arms, and grinned joyously back at Donna. “I feel fine. How are you, Mum?”

Donna smiled fondly at the continuing use of that title. “I’m okay. You took quite a blow for me back there; I’d have been dead if you hadn’t. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” she answered back. Jenny then sat up and pushed her hands down onto the mattress below her to test its solidity. “What is this? And what do you call this?” she asked as she swept her gaze around the room.

“Oh, I’m loving this!” Donna squealed with delight. “I get to help you learn all sorts of new things for yourself.” She walked nearer to the bed and put a hand on it. “This is a bed, and the room is called a bedroom.”

Jenny frowned. “Is everything always so literal?”

“Yeah, it tends to be,” Donna confirmed, surprised by that herself. “I’ll show you the bathroom in a moment where you bathe, and… Oh!... what phrase do you usually use to urinate? Anyway, I’ll show you all of the facilities we have.”

“This is so exciting!” Jenny enthused. “I finally get to explore planet Earth.”

“About that, Jenny. It’s best not to mention you’ve only just got here,” Donna advised cautiously. “Instead, say you are new to London. We’ll work out a proper cover story for you later.” 

There were sounds of movement outside the room, and Jenny instantly went on alert. “What’s that? How much of a danger is it?” she asked, crouching low just in case.

It was hard for Donna not to chuckle at the action. “Well, you’re in danger of getting an ear battering or being fed to within an inch of your life,” Donna flippantly remarked. “There isn’t much danger, in other words. Once you’ve washed I’ll introduce you to the family.”

“I get to have a family?!” Jenny cried.

Donna quickly shushed her. “Yes, if you are presentable. Most people have a family of some sort. Even your father.” That thought sobered her for a second. “I wonder if Jack knows where he is right now. I’ll contact him as soon as you’ve eaten. You look as though you could do with a good meal inside you.”

 

“Donna, who were you talking to?” Sylvia asked as soon as Donna appeared in the kitchen doorway. She became even more suspicious when Donna didn’t instantly answer.

“Mum, I’ve got someone for you to meet,” she began nervously, “and I get the feeling that you’re not going to like it very much.”

“You’ll soon find out if you actually tell me,” Sylvia snapped.

In answer, Donna looked behind her and then tugged on the pyjama-clad arm of a young blonde girl, bringing her into full view. “This is Jenny, Mum,” she announced. “My Jenny.”

Sylvia alternated her gaze from the smiling pretty girl to Donna and back. “Are you a lesbian now?” she eventually asked Donna.

“Oh no! No no no! It isn’t like that,” Donna insisted, waving her hands about desperately.

“What’s a lesbian, Mum?” Jenny innocently asked.

Donna glared at Sylvia in response, and Sylvia gasped in shock. “What’s going on? And why is she calling you ‘Mum’?”

“Look, that’s not important for a minute,” Donna tried to counter, wanting to explain other, more important things. 

But Jenny was full of curiosity, and touched Donna’s arm to attract her attention. “Does she not know about Dad?”

“Who?!” Sylvia near shrieked. “Who’s the father?”

Taking a deep, calming breath, Donna started to explain. “That was the part I didn’t think you’d like.” Trying not to look at Jenny’s hurt and puzzled expression, she continued, “Jenny’s dad is the Doctor… Now don’t start! Hear me out.”

“Her father?! But he… And you…? But you shouldn’t…” Sylvia stalled as question upon question fought to be shouted out.

“Right, let’s go through those one at a time. Yes, he is her father. Yes, he probably told you not to mention him ever again to me. No, I am not her biological mother unless something strayed at the time which I’m inclined to think could have happened, but that’s by the by; and I’m definitely not her stepmother, unless you count…? No, I’ll stick with the fact I’m probably not, but she is my daughter nevertheless. And no, I shouldn’t remember any of this, but thanks to Jenny I can; quite safely. She saved me, Mum,” Donna replied, hoping her mother would now show the girl some much needed love. “Why don’t you say hello to your granddaughter?”

Sylvia’s hand had gone from fluttering over her throat to covering her mouth. “My granddaughter,” she faintly repeated. “I have a granddaughter?”

“Thanks to the Doctor, yes.” Donna took hold of Jenny’s hand and guided her over to where Sylvia stood by the sink. “This is Jenny.”

“Hello,” Jenny nervously greeted her, and smiled her brightest smile.

Sylvia tearfully waved her hand about for a few seconds and then softly ordered, “Come here.” She instantly wrapped Jenny up in a warm hug that she eagerly returned.

“There you go,” Donna sighed in relief. “What did you want Jenny to call you?”

“Oh, I erm… I suppose being called Gran would be lovely,” Sylvia decided as she pulled slightly away.

“Hello Gran,” Jenny beamed, and was hugged once again.

 

It didn’t take long for Sylvia to phone her father and blurt out her good news. “You’ve got to come home, Dad, and meet her. She’s such a lovely girl.”

Overhearing the exchange, Donna could not have been more pleased with her mother’s reaction if she tried.

In fact, Wilf came racing in through the back door within ten minutes, eager to embrace his brand new great-granddaughter. For Jenny it was as if all her Christmases had come at once. There was only one way it could get better.

Wilf was so pleased to meet Jenny that he kept a tight hold of her hand even when his mug of tea was placed in front of him as they sat at the kitchen table.

“And you’re definitely alright now?” he cautiously asked Donna as he peered intensely at her for any signs of trouble.

“Definitely!” she happily confirmed, having already told him the tale of how she had ceased being on the brink of death.

“So you’ll now be looking for his Lordship,” he remarked to Jenny. “He didn’t look too well the last time I saw him.”

“What do you mean by ‘the last time’?” Donna instantly demanded to know. “Have you seen him since I came back? When did you see him?”

“Well…” Wilf and Sylvia both looked pretty sheepish for a moment. “I was with him at Christmas,” he continued, “when the big red planet appeared in the sky.”

“You what?!” Donna near shrieked. “When did that happen? I don’t remember that at all!”

“It was when you had that funny turn, and Shaun found you in the alleyway with those three dead people,” Sylvia added.

“Who’s Shaun?” Jenny piped up. “Is he another member of the family?”

“Not yet,” Sylvia answered. “Donna is marrying him in a fortnight’s time.”

As Jenny threw Donna an accusational, worried and questioning glance, Donna paled and shook her head. “I’m not marrying him,” she declared.

“What do you mean you’re not marrying him?” Sylvia cried out. “The wedding is booked and everything!”

“Then I’ll have to unbook it,” Donna replied tersely. 

“Mum, you can’t marry someone else,” Jenny tensely stated.

Donna reached out to place a consoling hand over Jenny’s; and she gave it a squeeze. “I know, love. Don’t you worry; I’ll sort it all out.”

“Sort what out?” Wilf queried. “Why can’t you marry Shaun? He not good enough anymore now that Jenny is around?”

Donna blushed. “It isn’t that, Gramps. The fact is, I erm…” She swept her gaze between her seated companions and winced guiltily. “I’m sort of married already.”

Both Sylvia and Wilf gasped in shock. 

“What do you mean?” Sylvia looked both puzzled and angry.

“Just tell her, Mum,” Jenny gently encouraged.

Donna nervously licked her lips. “You see, when the metacrisis happened, I got all of the Doctor’s knowledge, including stuff I should definitely have not known. And for Gallifreyans that means marriage; proper, eternal marriage.”

“But you said…,” Sylvia murmured and pointed towards Jenny faintly. 

“When Jenny emerged I was just some friend…”

“You were never _just_ a friend, Mum,” Jenny blurted out.

Donna patted her hand in thanks. “Okay, I wasn’t a love interest in the Doctor’s life. It sort of happened, like everything else seems to sort of happen when you’re with him.” She then thoughtfully added, “I dread to think what kind of effect this had on him. He would have gone completely barmy.”

“Cos he missed you,” Wilf pondered.

“No, because the whole marriage thing is linked to a Time Lord’s sanity, so if I wasn’t able to return the link, for want of a better phrase, then he would lose it big time,” Donna explained. “He probably had a breakdown.”

“Dad could be ill?” Jenny anxiously asked.

Donna slowly nodded. “I didn’t want to say, but things could be fatal by now. We need to find him, Jenny. And we need to find him fast.”

“I did tell him when your wedding was,” Wilf admitted. “Do you think he’d turn up to see you off?”

“Oh!” Donna immediately clamped her hands over her mouth. “That’s the sort of stupid sentimental thing he might do.”

“Does this mean we wait for him at the church?” Jenny eagerly asked. “If we don’t find him beforehand.”

“I think this does,” Donna happily answered. “Come on. We have some planning to do.”

“Is this wedding on or off? I’m getting confused here,” confessed Sylvia as she watched Donna and Jenny almost jump up out of their seats.

“The wedding is off. All hail the wedding!” Donna cheekily threw at them as she and Jenny left the kitchen.

“Don’t ask me,” Wilf answered Sylvia’s unasked question when she looked at him, and resignedly quickly sipped his tea. 

 

“Shaun, you know how in things like EastEnders they always have some long lost teenager turn up out of the blue and declare they are someone’s son or daughter? Well, I’ve just had that happen.” Donna then sat back and waited for the fireworks, having lit the blue touch paper.

Shaun sat stunned for several seconds, until finally a few words managed to make it out. “You have a long lost child?”

“Yes,” she readily answered. “I have a daughter, called Jenny.”

“Okay,” Shaun slowly muttered. “I have the feeling that’s not all.”

“Well,” Donna began, knowing the next part would affect him the most, “coming back to EastEnders, you know how when a couple on there go to get married and then somebody suddenly turns up at the church and says that they are already married, to them? Well, that’s about to happen to me as well.”

Shaun drew in a sharp breath. “And you have a secret husband somewhere?!” 

“Yes, sort of. He’s Jenny’s dad,” she admitted.

He stayed stunned at this news. “And you didn’t know where they were for years and years?”

“I know this sounds completely weird, but yes, I didn’t know where they were. In fact I thought Jenny was… dead.” She nervously wrung her hands. “I knew I’d lost him forever, in a way. I felt his loss but I couldn’t explain it.”

“Why don’t you try explaining it to me now?!” Shaun cried out. “How can you not know you had a husband and daughter, for god’s sake? Tell me how, Donna!”

She sighed, trying to think how to word her reply properly. “You already know about my memory loss. There was a terrible accident during that time all the planets were in the sky and Daleks were killing people. I gained a husband and then instantly lost everything that was good in my life.” 

“I don’t understand,” Shaun declared. 

Okay, it was time to go for broke. “I also lost a son that day. He was there, and I lost him! If I had been right in the head I would never have let that happen. But I wasn’t. I was shot by this Dalek… thing! And somehow I lived; but I also died, Shaun. Are you getting the picture yet?!” 

“Not really. But… your mum and Gramps never said you had children from a previous marriage. Why didn’t they tell me?” he whined.

“I don’t know! I was too busy trying to avoid dropping down dead to notice,” she answered harshly, and instantly regretted it. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.” 

The gears were whirling in his brain now. “At Christmas, you went all weird, and your grandfather was sneaking about with some bloke. They looked awfully pally. And he was stalking you; I saw him. He was watching you from the café down Richmond Road.”

“He might have; he was here at Christmas,” she reluctantly admitted. “There was a problem with his home, that he had to sort out, and he needed…”

“What did he need, Donna? Did he need you by any chance?” he sarkily wondered.

“As a matter of fact he did! Don’t you dare talk about him like that. He’s wonderful and dazzling. You don’t understand how awful it’s been for him. And I can give him something precious back. I can give him some of his family.”

“Where do I fit into all this? Is there room for me as you all play happy families?!” Shaun almost spat at her.

She sadly shook her head, and told him calmly, “I’m sorry that I led you up the garden path, but my memory was shot to pieces and then I met you. I wish it meant I could stay with you but I have a daughter and a husband who need me. I can’t go against that, I just can’t. There is no way I can give him up.”

“Then there’s nothing left for me to say, is there?” he thrusted at her as he stood up to leave. “I suppose this is it. Goodbye, Donna.”

“Goodbye, Shaun,” she automatically responded. His anger was entirely understandable, and she should have been comforting him more; but her heart told her that the Doctor needed her far more, and always would.


	3. Finding Jack

Watching all this as she slowly devoured a large banana milkshake was Jenny. She had been warned that things could go rather heated whilst the explanations were made, but it was still a shock to experience for the first time in her young life. Needing to offer any comfort possible by her mere presence if nothing else, Jenny got up from her seat and walked over to where Donna sat forlornly at her café table. “That was Shaun, I suppose,” she noted to break the silence. “I saw him go.”

Donna turned her sad eyes onto her daughter. “Yes, love. That was him; although he’s normally miles sweeter than that. He’s too nice for his own good. As you saw, it didn’t go awfully well, but then what did I expect? I’ve just chucked him over, for goodness sake.”

“At least you didn’t jilt him at the altar,” Jenny offered in consolation.

“True,” Donna answered with a guilty sigh. “Not like I did with Lance. Perhaps that’s why he so eagerly tried to feed me to a spider?” she tried to jest. “Who am I kidding? He was planning to do that to me anyway. If it weren’t for your dad I’d have been dead long ago.” The last words came out on a sob.

Jenny rushed forward to engulf Donna in a hug. “We’ll find Dad, don’t worry, Mum. Between the two of us we’re unstoppable.”

“Yeah, about that. Jack said that he’s not seen hide nor hair of your father, and if he was going to contact anyone it’d be Jack,” Donna sadly told her.

“Why is that? What’s so special about Jack?” Jenny wondered.

Donna gave a laugh. “If you’d met Jack you wouldn’t need to ask me that. How can I put this? Jack is gorgeous, heroic and immortal. You’d never want to forget him.”

Jenny gawped at her in shock. “Did you fancy him? But what about Dad?!”

Oh bugger! How should she explain this one? “It’s not like that. Your dad could only think about Rose when I met Jack. She had been dragged up time and time again; and dangled in front of Martha for months. In fact he was moping about her when I first saw him. So there he was, being monopolised by Rose returning to this universe, hugging her like crazy, and I was standing there like a gooseberry. What was I supposed to do? I’m flesh and blood after all.”

“What did you do?” Jenny asked cautiously, expecting some sort of adult rated response. 

“I asked Jack for a hug, that’s all. And the bugger wouldn’t do it,” Donna answered bitterly. “I finally meet the Casanova of deep space, and he turns his nose up at me.” 

“I’m sure there was a good reason,” Jenny offered, whilst wondering what the matter with Jack was.

“I shall never know now,” Donna replied. “It proves how special Shaun was in wanting to marry me; and I just let him go.”

Jenny decided it was best to ignore the tears that were slowly dribbling down Donna’s cheeks, beyond picking up and pushing forward a paper serviette towards her. Donna gratefully accepted it and dabbed at her eyes.

“Do you love Shaun?” Jenny asked softly. “If you do I’m sure Dad could find a way to release you.”

“It’s too late now,” Donna sighed. “What I felt for Shaun has almost gone; and anyway, I have you back in my life. What more could I want?” She weakly smiled.

Strangely enough, Jenny could now imagine what else Donna might have wanted, but she kept schtum for the time being on that matter. Instead she changed the subject. “Did Jack say anything else?”

Donna brightened a little bit. “He said Martha is with Mickey Smith. You’d like him. I met him the day of the Dalek thing. He’s quite handsome and he seemed really nice, so I’m pleased for her. Martha deserves some happiness.” She went to drink from the cup in front of her and then scowled when she realised she had already finished it. “Jack might be coming up to London if he can get away from Cardiff. He seemed keen to meet you.”

“Me?!” Jenny squeaked in surprise.

“I’d better warn you; Jack has a thing for your dad. Has done for ages, therefore, you being his daughter would spark lots of interest,” Donna explained. “We’ll know exactly how much when he appears.”

What exactly did she mean by ‘a thing’? “Won’t he be coming to see you too?”

“I suppose so. I did deliberately emphasise you are my daughter. We can’t have him getting his mucky maulers on you, can we?” Donna smiled at her sweetly.

Did that mean..? “Is he likely to try and seduce me?!” 

“As I said, Jack is a Casanova.” Donna lifted her hand and flexed her fingers. “If he lays so much as a finger on you I’ll do more than slap him. Let’s put it this way, he’ll lose lots more than a life when I get my hands on him.” 

Jenny couldn’t help laughing loudly at the image that conjured up. 

 

Donna had just stepped off a bus when she heard a male voice call out, “Donna!”

She turned to see who could be shouting for her attention, and spotted Jack running down the pavement towards her, all superhero-like with his coat fanning out behind him. It was a pretty good look, she had to concede. “Jack!” she yelled back and waved like a loon.

He raced up and grasped her hands. “How are you? It’s good to see you whole again.”

“It’s just generally good to see you,” she enthused. “Everything okay in Cardiff?”

“It is now,” he answered with obvious relief. “Things can get a bit difficult, especially when Weevils start coming through the Rift.”

“What are they?” she immediately asked. “I think I know what the Rift is.”

“They’re annoying creatures that cause more problems than they are worth. And talking of the Rift…” Jack let go to scramble through his pockets. “This came through the Rift yesterday, with a note attached, would you believe?”

Donna eyed the box in his hands with great interest. “A note, you say?”

Jack immediately handed over a small, linen-based piece of paper with printed writing on it. 

It read: ‘Please give this to her. She will know what to do with it.’

Hmm, interesting. Donna raised her eyes back to Jack. “That box does look familiar, I will admit. I wonder if Jenny can explain more.”

“And where is Jenny? I can’t wait to meet her,” Jack eagerly replied.

“Follow me,” Donna said using her best seductive voice; and laughed when he reacted with an embarrassed expression. Yeah, she’d get him back for before.

 

They walked along chatting about everyday life in Torchwood, Martha, and the banalities of travelling to London. There was an easy air between them by the time they reached Donna’s home, and she was giggling at Jack as she opened the front door.

“Hello! Is anyone home?” she threw out as she walked in and took off her coat.

“Is that you, Mum?” Jenny called down the stairs, and then ran down. She stopped short as soon as she saw Jack. “Hello,” she politely said.

“Hello! I’m Captain Jack Harkness. You must be Jenny,” he schmoozed her, holding out a hand in greeting.

Jenny reluctantly accepted his handshake. “Yes, I am. You must be Jack the hug avoider.”

“Pardon?!” He turned to ask Donna, “What is she on about?”

“Oh, nothing; just the fact you don’t give out hugs,” she intoned.

“What? I give out hugs. Come here and let me show you,” Jack insisted as he stared at Jenny.

But Jenny thwarted his efforts by sticking out a hand to push against his chest. “Sorry. If Mum isn’t good enough to hug then nor am I.”

Jack whirled indignantly to face Donna. “Why is she saying that?”

“’She’ is saying that because you refused to hug Mum,” Jenny explained. “I bet you didn’t today either.”

“Ah!” Jack slightly blushed. “No I didn’t; but then I wouldn’t.”

The sight of Jenny scowling at him was not a good one. 

“Why not?” she demanded to know.

“Jenny, it doesn’t matter,” Donna tried to ease the sudden tension by saying.

“It does!” Jenny insisted. “Well?!” She glared at Jack.

“I erm…,” Jack blustered.

“See! I told you,” Donna said with a very hurt tone. “Can we leave this alone now, please?” 

Jack grabbed hold of her arm to demand her attention. “Did you really think I didn’t want to hug you? I assure you I did. The fact is I couldn’t.”

“I didn’t see the special shackles holding you back, nor did I see the gunman holding a gun to your head at close range,” Donna mocked him. 

“No,” he agreed. “But you did see the Doctor.”

“You what? Now that takes the biscuit. You’re blaming him?!” That had to be the limit! Donna couldn’t see what the Doctor had to do with it at all. 

“Yes. As his wife you are clearly off limits to me,” Jack reluctantly admitted.

“I wasn’t then,” Donna spat out.

“You were,” Jack disagreed. “You had been since I saw you on the news.” When they both looked confused, he added, “I saw you both on the news during the Christmas Star incident. It was a very fetching wedding dress, by the way.”

“That wasn’t a real wedding, you numpty!” Donna stormed. “He merely gave me a biodamper.”

Jack raised an eyebrow in query. “Did he say words and you answered?”

“Well… yeah; but we didn’t mean it,” she confessed. “It was just for a laugh.”

“Doesn’t matter. You made vows that started the whole process; and therefore I am not allowed to touch you.” Jack stood completely vindicated.

“Oh bugger!” she exclaimed. 

“Does this make you my real mother?” Jenny wondered innocently. 

Donna eyed Jack suspiciously before answering, “I’m going to say yes.” That should give him fair warning, she thought.

“Maybe I should show Jenny the box I was sent?” Jack quickly offered, and they headed towards the kitchen to discuss it.

 

Jack couldn’t miss all the paperwork sitting on the sideboard. “What are you planning? It looks like a wedding,” he jested as he sat down at the dining table.

Donna sat cautiously down opposite him and shot Jenny a guilty look. “Yes, it was a wedding for quite a while; but now it isn’t.”

“Isn’t?” he echoed. “Has it turned into a divorce celebration?”

“Not yet,” Donna replied. “Not that it hasn’t lost its chance yet. No, I’m thinking of keeping the celebration part and turning it into a ‘Welcome To The Family’ do for Jenny. You’re invited, of course, with whoever your plus one is. I’m going to invite Martha and Mickey too, if that helps.”

He smiled encouragingly back, suddenly very pleased with this invite, and full of curiosity about seeing the Doctor interact with a daughter. Imagining the Doctor being all domestic was quite a task for him. “I’d love to come,” he enthused. “Will the ex-lucky groom be there?” 

“What, Shaun?” Donna queried, and snorted with derision. “I doubt very much. We’ll probably never see him again, and he’d be right to avoid me.”

“Mum, don’t be so hard on yourself,” Jenny practically cooed as she reached out to place a comforting hand on Donna. “This isn’t your fault.”

“Yeah… well…,” Donna spluttered and wiped at her eyes. “I needn’t have encouraged him in the first place. It was doomed from the off, and I should have known to listened to my instincts.”

“I could always arrange to retcon him if you like,” Jack offered. “If you think it would be kinder.”

“No!” Donna fervently denied, making him jump with the hidden pain. A pain that he knew all too well. “It’s better to know why your heart aches.”

He couldn’t help agreeing with her opinion; although he couldn’t help wondering whether her heart ached for a particular Time Lord. She was linked to him, that much was clear; otherwise she would never have given up this Shaun guy. “Are many going to this family party?” he openly wondered instead.

“Not as many as with the original plan,” Donna allowed the small joke to pass her lips. “Most of my family think I’m mad to replace the wedding, but they’ll soon understand when they meet Jenny.” A proud smile planted itself on her face.

“What covering story are you using to explain who she is?” Jack was deeply curious to know. 

“We can’t decide to go with teen pregnancy and adopted, or stay nearer the truth and say I married her father and she’s my step-daughter.”

Jack found them both looking at him expectantly, so he was obviously the first one they were trying this idea out on. “With both cases it brings the question ‘where is the father?’” he said with cautious tact. “But the second sounds more plausible.”

“Does Dad have to be mentioned?” Jenny pondered.

“People will definitely ask,” Donna answered, somewhat sadly. “It’s just natural nosiness. I wish I had a greater entitlement to you.”

“You do!” Jenny sought to appease her angst. “You were the first woman I ever saw; and when I saw you standing together I genuinely thought you and Dad…”

“You weren’t the only one, love. Blimey, if I had a pound for every time someone assumed we were a couple I’d have a healthier bank account,” Donna joked.

“Did it happen a lot then?” Jack couldn’t help asking. 

Donna laughed. “Yeah! All over the place. Even a giant spider thought it!”

Jack joined in with their giggles; it felt so good to hear them being hale and hearty. “I take it that you have some sort of a plan to get the Doctor here, and that this…” He brought out the box and placed it on the table in front of them. “…has something to do with that.”

As Jenny eyed the box with wonder and gently picked it up to examine it, Donna replied, “The box is a new addition, so we’re obviously are meant to use it. No, the idea was to try and catch him when he returned to see my wedding. And I know that there is no bridegroom anymore to lure him here with, so Jack… I was wondering. Would you or anyone you know be willing to stand-in for me? Just long enough to look convincing? I promise no vows will be said this time!”

A slow sly smile spread across Jack’s countenance. “I think I know just the man to help us.”

The smile grew into an ecstatic grin when both women leaned across and kissed his cheek.


	4. Reuniting With The Doctor

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **A/N2:** All images courtesy of [Sonic Biro](http://doctorwho.sonicbiro.co.uk/gallery/index.php); although it was hard to find screencaps of just Donna and Jenny, but _plenty_ of Donna and the Doctor! Still strange that.

  


The Doctor stepped into the TARDIS, any possible joy on his face wiped after handing Wilf his parting gift of a lottery ticket; gone to allow the full force of pain to hit him. He stumbled to the console, determined to enter the coordinates for New Year’s Eve 2004.

He’d gone to Donna’s wedding wanting to feel happy for her, but seeing her come out of the church in the way she had, well, it wasn’t going to happen. Instead his hearts panged as he had stood there, slowly breaking as he spiralled mentally downwards. 

As his hand reached out to turn a dial, he felt the strange but yet familiar presence behind him. “It’s too late for the Ghost of Christmas Past!” he cried out. “I already know what I lost.”

There was a snort of disagreement. “I don’t think you do,” a voice stated.

He whirled round in horror. “What? Is this some trick? You’re dead, and that’s the end of it.”

Jenny brought her hand up and deliberately pinched his arm. “I don’t think I am. In fact I’d go as far as saying I’m quite healthy.”

He rubbed where she had pinched him, scowling slightly, as he tried to work this puzzle out. “Since when did you speak using Donna’s voice?” he quizzed the person before him.

“I don’t,” Jenny insisted. “But she does,” she added, pointing behind him.

In a split second he turned in the direction Jenny pointed and found himself gazing at Donna Noble. “Donna?! Are you dead already?”

“What is it with you and demanding people be dead all of a sudden?” Donna grouched. “I’m as dead as you are. Although that isn’t saying much at the moment.”

“Mum, that isn’t nice considering Dad is dying,” Jenny admonished her.

Donna shrugged dismissively. “I’m just saying what we’re all thinking. And he started it!”

“What?” the Doctor blurted out in shock again.

“Oh, right,” Donna remarked, bring her thoughts under control. “You want to know what’s happening, don’t you, Spaceman? Jenny calls me ‘Mum’ now, and... Well, that wasn’t me you saw out there coming from the church.”

“How?” he stammered.

“Do you remember the neat trick you did with the hologram? I just extrapolated that one. You think you saw me out there when it wasn’t,” Donna explained.

“It was very easy to do,” Jenny added. “I’m surprised you didn’t use a better version.”

The Doctor stood gawping at the pair of them.

“Aw look! He’s doing the cute puppy bit again,” Donna remarked whimsically to Jenny. “The eyelid will twitch as well in a minute.”

“Now look here!” he spat out in anger. “I am dying here and all you can do is take cheap pot shots at my dignity.”

Donna smirked knowingly at him. “No you’re not. I’ve already dealt with that. It was all Jenny’s idea.”

“What?!” he spluttered.

“Seriously, Spacemen; you really should get yourself a new word,” Donna mocked him as she swept up and closed his open mouth by tipping up his jaw with one finger. “We don’t want you catching flies.”

“Mum!” Jenny giggled. “You are the limit!”

“But… what did you do?” the Doctor wondered, finally getting his voice properly back. 

“We found this,” Jenny said, holding out a small crystallised box in the palm of her hand.

“Part of the Key to Time,” he said softly. “Where did you get it?”

Jenny exchanged a glance with Donna. “I was loaned it, by really nice man who insisted I show it to you.”

“Loaned?” he echoed, clearly worried. “But that thing is dangerous! You need to get rid of it!”

“And we will,” Donna calmly assured him. “We promised to give it back straight away.”

He started to say something to complain about this, but he suddenly realised Jenny was affecting him. “What are you doing? I feel… it’s draining…”

“Is it working?” Jenny anxiously asked. She smiled when Donna reassuringly touched her shoulder.

“It seems to be, love,” Donna commented. “His colour is much better.”

“Oi! I am in the room!” he grumbled.

“Funnily enough I had noticed,” she sarkily reminded him. “You’ve stopped glowing for a start!”

“I have,” he noted, lifting up a hand to double check. 

“See! You were Time Lord enough after all, Jenny,” she brightly pointed out. “You’ve saved your dad’s life.”

“I have, haven’t I?” Jenny crowed. She then reverently put down the Key of Time part that she had been holding in her hands.

“I’m not sure you are supposed to use it for such a personal purpose, but I’m extremely grateful that you did.” The Doctor beamed at his daughter happily. “You’re alive! I never thought…” It was beyond him to wait any longer before sweeping her up in his arms. “You’re alive,” he emotionally mumbled into her hair.

“Not only that, but she turned up and healed me,” Donna eagerly added to his sense of pride. When he guiltily looked up at her, Donna added, “Don’t worry about me; carry on hugging her. She deserves it for rescuing you.”

“I can’t…,” he tried to express his disbelief as he continued to cling onto Jenny.

“It’s okay, I understand.” Donna fondly smiled at them. “How about I go and do us all something special to celebrate? I’ll give you a shout when it’s ready.” With that, she left them to finish their poignant reunion, and headed for the kitchen.

Once there she decided to try baking a cake as some sort of a peace offering. Opening the kitchen cabinets it was soon clear that the TARDIS was keen for her to make the Doctor’s favourite chocolate cake; so she set to work.

 

Jenny eventually let go of him long enough to pull back and ask, “Why didn’t you hug Mum? Does anyone want to?”

“What do you mean?” the Doctor queried.

“It’s just… Lots of people have offered to hug me, but since I’ve known Mum the only person who was willing to hug her is Gramps,” she explained.

“I’ve hugged Donna lots of times,” he indignantly defended himself.

She warily peered at him. “Perhaps Jack got it wrong about you two, and you don’t care anymore.”

“What do you mean, anymore?” he spluttered. “I have just come from her wedding, utterly heartbroken that it is the last time I’d ever see her. Or at least I thought it was the last time.”

“Where were you planning to go next?” she wondered. “You were setting coordinates before you spotted us.”

“I erm… I was going to go and see…” Jenny quirking an eyebrow at him made him own up completely. “I was going to see Rose in 2004.”

“Oh,” Jenny softly exclaimed thoughtfully, and then slightly teared up as she reached her conclusion. “It must have been hard for you to give her up and accept second best. I’ll go and help Mum.” She turned away from him.

“Wait!” he cried out, halting her progress. “What’s this about second best?”

“Nothing,” she said far too brightly. “I’m just trying to work it all out in my head, that’s all.” She then anxiously rubbed her hands together. “It seems very sad that you’ve accidentally ended up married when you obviously love someone else. No doubt you’ll find a nice way to release Mum.”

The Doctor was so shocked by her words he let her go; and she hurried to where the TARDIS had told her Donna was. He was still pondering the situation when he sauntered into the kitchen and found Donna putting the finishing touches to a meal.

Seeing him arrive, she lifted her head and gave him her cheeriest smile. “I did us a shepherd’s pie; I hope you don’t mind.”

If his happy smile wasn’t enough, he licked his lips in anticipation. “That sounds divine,” he enthused.

Donna was pleased to see him and Jenny tuck in with gusto; but her own appetite was somewhat suppressed. After all, she didn’t know where she stood with him anymore. Did the invite to travel with him still stand? Would he want her around now that he had Jenny to show off to? She was linked to him, but it wasn’t as if he chose to be, so there was no telling how he would deal with that. And there was the matter of the job she had tried to wangle out of Jack, on the basis that she still had some of the Doctor’s knowledge in her head. It wasn’t much to recommend her, but it was a start.

It was clear that the Doctor was delighted to have Jenny back in his life. All of his conversation had flowed towards her so far. Had she royally ballsed things up for herself by being with Jenny? You can’t compensate for real family after all. 

“Why don’t you give Jenny the grand tour while I clear things away?” she offered him as she stood up, giving him no room to argue with her. It would buy her more time on board whilst she did. “I’ll have tea and cake ready for when you’re done.”

Both the Doctor and Jenny had looked pleased with that, so she shooed them away and tackled assembling a gooey chocolate concoction worthy of Nigella herself!

 

She was expecting happy chattering laughter when they returned, but instead the Doctor entered on his own. Instantly Donna’s hopes sank. This was it; he was going to dump her back home. “Banned Jenny from eating any cake, have you?” she jested. “I’ll wrap her up some for later.”

“Donna, leave it for now,” he quietly told her.

“I can’t; it’ll go dry if I don’t,” she insisted, and bustled about as she avoided looking at him.

“Donna! Just stop, will you?” he pleaded, and caught hold of her arm.

“Sorry, Spaceman. I don’t want it to go to waste after all my efforts,” she apologetically explained. “Tea? I’ve made some tea. Where is Jenny? I thought she would have been back by now.”

“Donna…”

But she was ignoring him. “I’ll pour the tea out, and _then_ you can do your thing.”

“What thing?” he queried.

She waved her hand about. “I know you want to dump me off, but can I spend just a little more time with Jenny before I go? I promise not to get in the way too much.”

“That’s not how it’s going to happen,” he stated.

“It’s not?” She tried to hold in her disappointment. “I’ll erm… I’d better go and find Jenny to say goodbye then.”

He frowned at her. “Why would you want to do that?”

“D’uh! She’s my daughter as far as we are concerned, she gave me back my life and I want to say goodbye before I go. Is that too much to ask?”

“No it isn’t,” he agreed, “if you were actually leaving. But you aren’t.”

It was her turn to look confused. “You’re not dumping me?”

“Why would I?” he reasoned. “What exactly did Jack say to you both when he handed over that box?”

So he knew that part? She quickly tried to reassure him. “Ah. Jenny told you that, eh? In his defence he had no idea who would have sent it through the Rift, so please don’t blame him. He brought it straight to Jenny, and never laid a finger on her; I made sure of that.”

He took his time to mull this over and then quiz her, “What about you? Did he lay a finger on you?”

Daft Martian! “No; but then he wouldn’t. You won’t believe this, but he even fed me some lame excuse why he didn’t touch me the day of the Daleks. It gave me a good laugh.” 

“I assume it contained the word ‘marriage’,” he contemplated.

“How did you know that? I suppose Jenny told you. Anyway, it sort of did,” she admitted.

It was just as he thought. “Jenny seemed upset that I had accidentally married, and regretted leaving Rose behind on Pete’s world.”

Donna leapt to Jenny’s defence. “She’s an intelligent, sensitive girl. Of course she would be like that. I wish I could take some of the credit.”

“I partially said the wedding vows whilst placing a ring on your wedding finger. That doesn’t sound like an accident to me,” he pointed out.

There was some truth in that. “Okay, perhaps we’ll change the label to ‘unfortunate’ then?”

Oh dear! She wasn’t making this easy for him. “I also recall being downbeat about Rose returning when we were alone in the TARDIS, and then later deliberately taking her back to Pete’s world. In fact, I’m sure I told her that I had you when she asked me what I’d do.”

“Well, yeah,” Donna started to reluctantly agree. “You did say that, but… I don’t think you meant it like that. You were just saying it to shut her up.”

“Let’s consider this question then,” he proposed. “If I was madly in love with her, why did I choose you over her?”

She made no attempt to hide her confusion. “I dunno. That one has been puzzling me too.”

Good grief! She was really making it difficult for him to get through to her. “Donna, what have you been referring to me as lately? Why did you break things off with Shaun?”

“I erm… I told him I was already married, with a son and a daughter,” she admitted, immediately worried when she saw the angry expression on the Doctor’s face. “And I know I wasn’t supposed to mention him, but I can’t let him go that easily!”

“Are you angry with me?” he gently asked.

“For that I am,” she freely admitted.

“Fair enough,” he commented, not knowing how to answer and unwilling to voice his reasons. “I was thinking… Why don’t we go somewhere as a family and see some sights?”

So he was trying to distract her, eh? “Does this somewhere include a guided tour of some dark corridors closely followed by being shown into a scenic dungeon?”

He anxiously rubbed the back of his neck. “Hopefully not. I was thinking of a trip to a beach,” he pondered optimistically.

Donna knew he was trying to partly make things up to her, and quietly resolved to have words later on. For now they were supposed to be celebrating Jenny returning from the dead and finding her family. “Okay then, let’s go find a beach.” She quickly added, “Make it a warm beach this time, Time boy.” 

“You’ll have to bribe me with tea and chocolate cake, Earth girl,” he teased; and was pleased when she swatted him. Things were on the up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is a sequel to follow that will hopefully explain all the plotholes. ;D


End file.
